Falk Gastro Info 4/2026

Visser E et al, 2026;11(3):190-203

Appendicectomy in active ulcerative colitis after failure of biologic therapy (COSTA trial): In this multicenter study enrolling patients with active ulcerative colitis and prior failure of biologics, appendicectomy was associated with higher clinical remission rates after one year compared with switching to a JAK inhibitor.

Hyun HK et al, Am J Gastroenterol. 2025;120(12):2918-2928

Minimum platelet count threshold for safe colonoscopic polypectomy: This large cohort study involving 16,852 patients with 41,930 polypectomies revealed that patients with platelet counts < 90,000/µL exhibited significantly elevated rates of immediate and delayed postpolypectomy bleeding.

Lubianiker N et al, Nat Med. 2026;32(2):572-581

Positive expectations and immune responses – linking the brain’s reward system to immunity: This randomized controlled trial shows that upregulation of the brain’s mesolimbic reward system using neurofeedback is associated with a stronger antibody response to hepatitis B vaccination. In particular, increased activity in the ventral tegmental area correlated with higher post-vaccination antibody levels. These findings suggest that positive expectations and reward-related brain activity may influence immune responses.

Aceituno L et al, Gastroenterology. 2026;170(2):385-394

ANTICIPATE-NASH: Prognostic models outperform histology: By combining non-invasive parameters, the ANTICIPATE-NASH models allow a more refined risk stratification for decompensation and other clinical outcomes. This study shows that these models predict the risk of clinical events in patients with MASLD and advanced chronic liver disease more accurately than histology alone. These findings highlight the potential of non-invasive prognostic tools for guiding clinical management.

Hartnett DA et al, Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2026;24(2):375-384.e3

Histological predictor of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) response in eosinophilic esophagitis: In a multicenter cohort study, distally distributed eosinophilia was significantly associated with clinical and histological response to PPI, whereas more proximal or generalized eosinophilia was associated with nonresponse.

Rouveyre R et al, Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2026;63(1):57-69

Simplified bowel preparation for small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) in Crohn’s disease: A simplified bowel preparation with clear liquid diet and water ingestion resulted in comparable cleanliness and SBCE diagnostic yield while improving acceptability as compared to polyethylene glycol-based preparation in a randomized multicenter trial in Crohn’s disease patients.